Foreign Filing Roundup

Good morning, roundup readers. We have had a busy week here at inovia and compiled the latest headlines in foreign patent filing for your consideration. Please read on for the latest news:

The European Patent Office (EPO) released initial predictions of patent filing numbers from 2014. Last year, they received over 273,000 filings, an increase of 3% from 2013.

More news out of the EPO: Morocco became the first non-member country of the European Patent Organization to validate the legal effects of a European patent in its territory, setting the stage for other territories to do the same.

Yesterday, Brookings Institution hosted a discussion with Michelle Lee, the current Deputy Director for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Lee on patent trolls (a term she isn’t fond of): “I’ve seen the effects of patents that should have not have issued, or that have issued with a scope that is too broad. There is also a cost associated with that as well. On average, a start-up may get between $10 to $15 million to last over a number of years, and there are statistics that indicate that patent litigation can cost well over $1 million. So you can see if there is abusive litigation or a patent that should not have issued, there is a cost to our businesses.” Read more of Michelle Lee’s comment from this presentation here.

inovia news: Yesterday, we released a Press Release, “Top PCT National Stage Entry Countries for inovia Clients in 2014”. Check out the entire release now.